New K-State wide receivers coach gets to know his new group

MANHATTAN, KS. (KSNT) - Spring is nature's time for a fresh start, and K-State football is using it as a fresh start for next season.

There are new faces on the roster and on the coaching staff. Kansas native Matthew Middleton is taking over the wide receivers group.

"They get to see me in a vulnerable state of learning," Middleton said. "How I coach, how I learn. To be in this state and to show them it's OK to be uncomfortable learning, growing together, I think it's really awesome for them to see I'm human just like them. We're going to grow and do this to the best of our ability."

It's a younger group with upperclassmen, but just three have lined up as a receiver for the 'Cats. Since Middleton is new, they're all learning together.

"I don't look at it like the room being so young," Middleton said. "I look at it as all of them are hungry and eager to grow. As all of them are getting familiar with me, who I am day-to-day, my coaching techniques, I look at it as everyone is truly at the same level as far as growth."

This wide receivers group actually told Chris Klieman during the hiring process they wanted Coach Middleton.

"It means a lot that they chose me," Middleton said. "In this profession, not often do the players get to choose you, so for them to choose me, every single day my job is to prove them right."

Middleton is still figuring out his coaching philosophy with his new group. He's even still learning the team's lingo, but so far, they're growing together quickly, he says.